a) Field of the Invention
This invention is concerned with improvement in a device for pulverizing desiccated bulk products such as foodstuffs, medicaments, and so forth. More particularly, it relates to a pulverizer for desiccated bulk products obtained from liquid material which has completed its desiccation in a drying means for freeze-drying foodstuffs, medicaments, etc. adjusted in their liquid form, followed by subjecting the same to desiccating treatment in drying chamber (desiccating compartment) of a freeze-drying apparatus.
b) Description of Prior Arts
Conventionally, pulverization of desiccated products (dried bulk products) obtained from liquid material of foodstuffs, medicaments, etc. has usually been done in such a manner that the liquid material as adjusted from starting materials is filled in a container or vessel such as trays, etc., followed by placing the container and the liquid material therein in the desiccating chamber (drying compartment) of a freeze-drying apparatus to cause the liquid material to freeze in the container, then sublimation heat is imparted to the liquid material as frozen, under the vacuum condition, to thereby sublimate the moisture content in the material. And, by further capturing the water vapor into a vacuum-discharge type cold-trap which communicates to the desiccating chamber, the liquid material is subjected to freeze-drying. After this, the desiccated product resulted from the liquid material which has completed its desiccation is taken out of the drying chamber for each and every container, and this desiccated product is discharged outside the container as the desiccated bulk product, which is then thrown into a pulverizing apparatus to be reduced to very fine powder.
The above-described pulverizing means for the desiccated product obtained from the liquid material of foodstuffs, medicaments, etc., which has been freeze-dried by the freeze-drying apparatus, possesses troublesome problems such that, for securing maintenance of sterilized condition and prevention of contamination risk, with respect to the intended powder product, it requires to pass through a step of carrying the desiccated product, as dried, from the desiccating chamber of the freeze-drying apparatus, together with the container therefor; a step of taking out the desiccated product from the container as transported in its bulky configuration; and a step of throwing the desiccated bulk product as taken outside into the intake port of the pulverizing device, each step having to be carried out in its state of being isolated from the external atmosphere, even though loading of the liquid material into the desiccating chamber of the freeze-drying apparatus is effected in such state isolated from the external atmosphere.
In reality, however, pulverization of the desiccated bulk product obtained from the liquid material, which has completed its drying, is almost impossible in view of the structure of the freeze-drying apparatus. To so desire is next to impossible.
The present invention has been made with a view to solving the abovementioned problems which were inherent in the conventional means, and aims at providing improved device which, in substance, is capable of carrying out pulverization of the desiccated bulk product obtained from the liquid material which has been freeze-dried within the main body of the freeze-drying apparatus.
In order to attain the abovementioned objective, the device according to the present invention has been completed on the basis of findings obtained from various studies and experiments about the construction of the freeze-drying apparatus as well as the shapes and properties of the desiccated bulk products obtained from the liquid material which has completed its desiccation.
That is to say, findings and knowledge obtained by the present inventor about the desiccating chamber of the freeze-drying apparatus is such that, if and when it is constructed in the form of an upright cylindrical tube, on the inner wall surface of which the liquid material is made to freeze in a molded frozen body of a hollow cylindrical form, then the water content (moisture) in this molded frozen body is sublimated under the vacuum conditions, followed by capturing the vapor by a vacuum exhaust type cold-trap connected to the upper end side of the tube, the desiccated product of the molded cylindrical frozen body which has completed its desiccation within the tube readily drops downward from the tube interior due to its dead weight, and that the desiccated product (dried bulk product) of the molded frozen body which has completed its desiccation within the tube is remarkably brittle, which is liable to be easily crushed even under a slight shock, and can be reduced to fine powder even by blowing of pressurized air to be ejected from a jet nozzle.
Therefore, when a discharge port, opening downward at the time of freeze-drying the molded frozen body of the liquid material which has been frozen in a hollow cylindrical shape, is defined at the bottom end side of the upright cylindrical tube intended to form the desiccating chamber of the freeze-drying apparatus, and, as soon as the molded frozen body of the liquid material completes its desiccation within the tube interior, a jet current to be ejected from the jet nozzle which is provided on the inner wall surface of the cylindrical wall of the tube or the axis position of the tube is blown from the side of the inner bore or the outer periphery of the cylindrical molded frozen body against the molded frozen body of the liquid material which had completed its desiccation in the tube interior, there could be obtained a result such that the molded frozen body of the liquid material which has completed its desiccation was crushed and comminuted in the tube interior to become able to be taken out of the discharge port at the lower end side of the tube.
And, at this time, a pressurized fluid nozzle for ejecting pressurized air or gas is installed at the side of the upper end of the tube of the upright cylindrical tube to constitute the desiccating chamber of the freeze-drying apparatus, or at the side of the base end of the duct to be connected to its upper end side, in such a manner that the pressurized fluid ejected from the nozzle may flow in and through the tube in the direction of from its upper part to its lower part. As soon as the freeze-drying of the molded frozen body of the liquid material within the tube is completed, this pressurized fluid nozzle is actuated to bring about a state where the pressurized fluid flows in and through the tube toward the discharge port to cause jet current to be ejected from the jet nozzle provided at the axial part in the inner bore of the tube, or in the inner wall surface of the cylindrical wall of the tube, to crush the molded frozen body which has completed desiccation, whereupon there was obtained a result such that the comminuted product of the molded frozen body which has been crushed within the tube becomes able to be taken outside, with high efficiency, along with the discharge port at the lower end side of the tube.
From the above, as the expedient for attaining the abovementioned object, the present invention provides a pulverizing device for desiccated bulk product in a freeze-drying apparatus for foodstuffs, medicaments, and so forth, wherein the freeze-drying apparatus comprises: upright cylindrical tube for freezing liquid material onto the inner wall surface; a jacket surrounding the outer periphery of the tube to cause heat medium to circulate in its interior; and a duct communicatively connected to a vacuum exhaust system which is connected to the upper end side of the tube, the liquid material being frozen on the inner wall surface of the tube as a molded frozen body in a cylindrical form, then the moisture content in the material of the molded frozen body being sublimated under the vacuum condition to desiccate the liquid material by the freeze-drying. In such freeze-drying apparatus, the discharge port is provided at the lower end side of the tube, while the jet nozzle for ejecting pressurized air or gas toward the inner bore of the tube is disposed in the inner wall surface of the tube, thereby making it possible to grind or pulverize the molded frozen body of the liquid material, which has been freeze-dried within the tube, by means of the jet current ejected from the jet nozzle.
According to the present invention, in another aspect thereof, there is provided a pulverizing device for desiccated bulk product in a freeze-drying apparatus for foodstuffs, medicaments, and so forth, wherein the freeze-drying apparatus comprises: an upright cylindrical tube for freezing liquid material onto the inner wall surface; a jacket surrounding the outer periphery of the tube and causing heat medium to circulate in its interior; and a duct communicatively, connected to a vacuum exhaust system which is connected to the upper end side of the tube, the pulverizing device for desiccated bulk product being characterized in that a discharge port is provided at the lower end side of the tube, and a jet nozzle for ejecting pressurized gas or air against the inner wall surface of the tube is provided, to thereby pulverize the molded frozen body as freeze-dried in the tube by means of the jet current from this jet nozzle.
According to the present invention, in still another aspect thereof, there is provided a pulverizing device for desiccated bulk product in a freeze-drying apparatus for foodstuffs, medicaments, and so forth, as described above, the pulverizing device being characterized in that the pressurized fluid nozzle for ejecting pressurized air or gas into the upper end side of the tube or the duct connected to this upper end side of the tube is disposed in such a manner that the pressurized fluid ejected from the nozzle may be blown in and through the tube from the upper part of the tube toward the discharge port at its lower part, thereby making it possible that pulverization of the molded frozen body of the liquid material, which has been freeze-dried by freezing the same in the tube with the jet current from the jet nozzle disposed within the tube, may be effected in the current of the pressurized fluid which is blowing from the upper part to the lower part within the tube in and through the pressurized fluid nozzle.
Further, when a funnel-shaped inclined wall, holding the molded frozen body, which has just completed its desiccation by freezing the liquid material within the tube, in close contact with the lower edge side of the molded frozen body from below, is disposed at the lower end side of the tube, while a discharge port is defined at the lower end side of this inclined wall, and a jet nozzle for crushing and comminuting the molded frozen body by jet current is mounted on the wall surface of this inclined wall, or on the inner wall surface of the tube at a position right above this inclined wall, so that this jet current may be blown against the skirt part at the lower end of the molded frozen body held on the funnel-shaped inclined wall, there could be obtained a result such that the molded frozen body descended due to crushing of its lower end part to be sequentially crushed and pulverized from the lower end side, whereby the pulverized product of the molded frozen body was taken out from the discharge port.
In this case, when the pressurized fluid nozzle is provided at the upper end side of the tube or the base end side of the duct, so that the crushing and the pulverizing of the molded frozen body may be done in the pressurized fluid current ejected from the pressurized fluid nozzle blowing in and through the tube toward the discharge port, there could be obtained a result such that removal of the pulverized product from the discharge port could be done at a high efficiency.
From the above finding, it is other object of the present invention to provide a pulverizing device for desiccated bulk product in the freeze-drying apparatus for foodstuffs, medicaments, etc., which is constructed with an upright cylindrical tube for freezing the liquid material on its inner wall surface; a jacket surrounding the outer periphery of the tube and causing heat medium to be circulate in its inner part; and a duct communicated with a vacuum exhaust system which is connected to the upper end side of the tube, thereby freezing the liquid material on the inner wall surface of the tube in the form of a cylindrical molded frozen body, and sublimating the moisture content in the material of the molded frozen body under the vacuum condition, the molded frozen body of which is subjected to freeze-drying, the pulverizing device for the desiccated bulk product being characterized in that a funnel-shaped inclined wall, which holds the molded frozen body in close contact with the lower edge thereof, is mounted on the lower end side of the tube; that a jet nozzle for ejecting the jet current of pressurized air or gas against molded frozen body, as desiccated, the lower edge side of which is held on the inclined wall thereof, is mounted on the lower end part of the inner wall surface of the tube, at a position on the wall surface of the inclined wall or above its inclined wall, a discharge port being formed at the inclined descending side of the inclined wall to thereby comminute sequentially the molded frozen body from its lower end side with use of the jet current ejected from the jet nozzle and to discharge the pulverized product from the discharge port.
According to still other object of the present invention, there is provided a pulverizing device for desiccated bulk product in the freeze-drying apparatus for foodstuffs, medicaments, and so forth (as mentioned above) the pulverizing device being characterized in that the pressurized fluid nozzle for ejecting pressurized air or gas is provided on the upper end side of the tube or on the duct connected to the upper end side of the tube, in such a manner that the pressurized air or gas ejected therefrom may be blown in and through the inner bore of the tube from the upper part down to the discharge port below, by way of the inner bore (space) of the tube and the inner bore (space) of the funnel-shaped inclined wall, thereby making it possible that sequential crushing of the molded frozen body of the liquid material, which has been freeze-dried by freezing the same within the tube by the jet current from the jet nozzle provided at the lower end side of the tube, may be done in the flow of the pressurized fluid which is blown in the tube as well as the funnel-shaped inclined wall, through the pressurized fluid nozzle in the direction of from the upper position toward the discharge port.
Moreover, in this mode of embodiment, the cylindrical chamber is connected to an opening at the lower end side, by defining the opening at the lower part of the tube; a discharge port is provided at the bottom part of the chamber, in the inner surface side of which the jet nozzle for ejecting pressurized air or gas is mounted, and, as soon as the molded frozen body of the liquid material, which has completed its desiccation within the tube, drops from the tube interior into this chamber, the jet current from the jet nozzle is sprayed, whereby the crushed and comminuted products of the molded frozen body collide among themselves, or collide against the inner wall surface of the chamber, while they are gyrating within the chamber, to become pulverized by the jet current. Thus, crushing and pulverizing of the molded frozen body can be carried out efficiently.
In this mode of embodiment, there could also be obtained a result such that, if and when the pressurized fluid nozzle is mounted on the upper end side of the tube or the base end side of the duct, thereby making it possible that the pressurized fluid may be blown out of the inner bore of the tube into the exhaust port through the inner bore of the chamber, any reverse flow of the pulverized product to the side of the tube can be discharged with good efficiency.
According to further object of the present invention, there is provided, as the means for attaining the abovementioned object, a pulverizing device for desiccated bulk product in a freeze-drying apparatus for foodstuffs, medicaments, and so forth, which comprises: an upright cylindrical tube for freezing liquid material onto the inner wall surface; a jacket surrounding the outer periphery of the tube and causing heat medium to be circulated in its interior; and a duct communicatively connected to a vacuum exhaust system which is connected to the upper end side of the tube, the liquid material being frozen on the inner wall surface of the tube as a molded frozen body in a cylindrical form, then the moisture content in the material of the molded frozen body being sublimated under the vacuum condition to desiccate the liquid material by the freeze-drying, the pulverizing device for the desiccated bulk product being characterized in that a cylindrical chamber with the discharge port being defined in the bottom part of the tube is connected to the lower end side of the tube having an opening provided in the lower part thereof, the jet nozzle for ejecting jet current of pressurized air or gas is mounted on the inner surface side of the chamber, to thereby pulverize the molded frozen body of the liquid material, as freeze-dried in the tube, with the pressure as well as the jet current as ejected from the jet nozzle.
According to still further object of the present invention, there is provided a pulverizing device for desiccated bulk product in a freeze-drying apparatus for foodstuffs, medicaments, and so forth (as mentioned above), characterized in that the pressurized fluid nozzle for ejecting pressurized air or gas is provided in the duct to be connected to the upper end side of the tube or to the tube itself, in such a manner that the pressurized fluid ejected from the nozzle may be blown to the discharge port from the upper part, through the inner bore of the tube or the inner bore of the chamber, whereby crushing of the molded frozen body by the Jet current from the jet nozzle to be provided in the inner surface side of the chamber may be done within the flow of the pressurized fluid, which is ejected from this pressurized fluid nozzle and blown within the tube and the chamber, in the direction of from its upper part down to its lower part.
The foregoing objects, other objects as well as the specific construction and function of the pulverizing device for desiccated bulk product in the freeze-drying apparatus for foodstuffs, medicaments, and so forth, according to the present invention will become more apparent and understandable from the following detailed description thereof, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing.